Cruise ships to remember the Titanic

SOUTHHAMPTON, England, April 14 (UPI) -- Passengers on the cruise ship Azamara Journey say they will be watching for icebergs Saturday when they reach the spot where the Titanic sank 100 years ago.

About 450 people signed up for the cruise, which will mark the centennial of one of the most famous disasters at sea in history and will culminate with a stop at the exact spot the Titanic went down after clipping an iceberg on its maiden trans-Atlantic voyage out of Southhampton, England.

CNN said passengers were advised by the skipper of the Azamara Journey that while ice was rare in the area these days, there was still a possibility of catching a glimpse of the frozen peril that sent the mighty Titanic to the bottom, killing about 1,500 people.

Morgan Mullinix told CNN there was an eerie feeling as the ship neared the site of the disaster. "I looked out last night at the water and I thought, 'I can't even imagine what that had to have felt like or be like,'" she said.]

The Azamara Journey was not the only ship commemorating the Titanic anniversary. The Balmoral sailed with a complement of passengers, some of whom had bought their tickets years in advance, the BBC said.

"Although it happened 100 years ago the grief is still so very raw for so many people," said Rev. Huw Mosford, who will be leading the Balmoral memorial service.

The Titanic was burned into legend well before the ship's wreckage was found on the sea floor and the sinking became the subject of a 1997 blockbuster movie by the same name. CTVNews.ca said experts note the furious debate over maritime safety that resulted from the sinking and the passenger list that ranged from anonymous immigrants up to high-powered stars of business and society.

"This was a story about laws, class and people. That combination will always fascinate audiences," said Steven Biel, the executive director of the Mahindra Humanities Centre at Harvard University and author of the 1996 book "Down with the Old Canoe: A Cultural History of the Titanic's Disaster."

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